Cochin Thread!!!

[Funky Feathers]

Quote: sorry to hear you weren't happy... i'd buy amy's birds any day (pending winning lotto numbers LOL).

edited to add, I'm thinking you're talking about WestKnollAmy right? if not, I missed something somewhere...
but I love her mille cochins... I've got one pullet from her eggs in my pen now.
It's a different Amy, I looked.

 

[AndyCap]

ANDY!! They are positively gorgeous. 

I am really hoping they are dominant white. Have some eggs under a broody now that I crossed with partridge to see if they are dominant or recessive white. Our breeding season had just started. Holding thumbs.

 

[lilcrow]

I am really hoping they are dominant white. Have some eggs under a broody now that I crossed with partridge to see if they are dominant or recessive white. Our breeding season had just started. Holding thumbs.

Boy do I relate to that feeling. I've been having difficulty gathering seman from my best Birchen roo, so he's with my friend, Mandy being "trained." Hopefully I'll get some babies from him before the season ends (coming up soon).

 

[ki4got]

Quote: people talk about seasons beginning/ending... my breeding 'season' starts after all the girls start laying again consistently, since most have been broody all summer long and now are moulting!

then again we don't tend to get harsh winters in this area, and any babies hatched out by mid November can easily acclimate outside with a heat emitter in their house once they're about 6 weeks old.

 

[ChickenCrazy123]

Two white pullets. Coming nicely along I think. Cushions a bit thin but they are moulting

They are beautiful

 

[hiddenacres]

Tomarrow i am getting my first pair cochins they are black bantams and i can't wait yay but I don't know how to raise them i have 14 chickens now and tomarrow will be 16 but anything special to keep them healthy and show worthy they come from champion bloodlines

 

[newduckie]

The two Cochins I bought were white.... They better start changing soon because at six weeks they are gray and black... Is this normal? I don't really care what color they are. Or I didnt, till I saw these two whites and now... I care!! They are beautiful

 

[ChickenCrazy123]

This is Autumn one of my new Cochin's





This is Arabella pronounced AIR-a-bell-ah





This is Pebbles



This is updated pictures of Lily my first Cochin she still is young and is moulting right now

 

[AndyCap]

Here is an interesting little fella.

This guy is what showed me my Partridge Rooster was split for mottling.

I first saw the white feathers and posed him here a few months ago, thinking maybe he was from a birchen program



As he grew you kind folks here told me he was mottled. Because he is split on the e locus, he has fantastic yellow legs and feet.



A downside is the red leakage in the hackles, giving them a yellow appearance.


Here he is now at the farm. He is with a breeder friend on the farm.





His erm "butt" changed completely.





Cute boy!

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Tomarrow i am getting my first pair cochins they are black bantams and i can't wait yay but I don't know how to raise them i have 14 chickens now and tomarrow will be 16 but anything special to keep them healthy and show worthy they come from champion bloodlines.

My thoughts:
Food- I prefer a quality 16-18% protein feed

Keep off wet grass. Foot feathers can become brittle and break if too often are subjected to getting wet.

I think too much direct sunlight is not good for show birds. I try to limit it. My Blacks do get hotter faster and suffer more in heat than some of my other colors/varieties.

Because you are getting Blacks you can give corn as a treat and not worry about feather color or quality being affected. Black Oil Sunflower seeds are OK also. Treats are just that and not regular part of the diet.

Check regularly for mites. Some birds tend to be more prone to having them so just check often and treat aggressively if you find them. I sometimes think more birds die from mites than from predators.

Ask questions and enjoy!